Rats

[di]

Anyone else got them as pets? A month ago, I'd have cringed at the thought, having adopted two from a friend, my thoughts have changed considerably.

As I type, I have them both using me as a little climbing frame, every now and then scuttling to my face to say helloo...more oft than not climbing in one armhole to climb out of the other.

Unlike hamsters etc, when I walk past their cage they're there, almost begging to come out. Kiddies love them and they're the first thing they do after school....all in all,second to a dog, they have to be the best pet.....although Valencia has just decided to venture up my trouser leg

[petal]

They make excellent pets and are much more intelligent than a dog.However, I have a phobia of their tails....

[Newton]

Nutters! Hamster is such a cuddly word........rat on the other hand......

[Snadger]

My mate at work has just recently got two white rats at home for his bairn. He's always extolling their virtues.

On the other hand...............I've spent bladdy years trying to exterminate the damm things from the allotment................without success!

[Peppermint]

When my daughter was a teenager she had pet rats. They were wonderful pets, affectionate and intelligent.

[Two_Sheds]

Very good pets, IF you take the time to handle them every day. Otherwise, they'll take your finger off
My friend had two when we were at college, they used to be free range in the sitting room, and were very partial to a glass of red

[Aberdeenplotter]

they give me the heebie jeebies.

[Bren In Pots]

Our daughters had two rats both very tame and lived in open top tanks so they could wonder around the house, her dog gave them a wide birth though after being nipped on the nose as a puppy.

[Hilary B]

They make pretty good pets, but no way in the same intelligence league as a Border Collie (or even one of the dafter breeds of dog).

[Snadger]

I think I'd rather befriend a slug.....................

[Rocketron]

Scent marking

[Creemteez]

Although the thought of coming across a wild rat freaks me out a bit (dunno!) I have always fancied the idea of pet rats after seeing a documentary about a "Rat Lady" (as the local kids called her). They were supremely intelligent, affectionate and clean pets -all ten of them!. I remember watching "bath time" where they formed an orderly cue on the edge of the bath while "mum" shampooed each one in turn. They would then all plop into the water for a rinse/swim/play, then out for a roll in a fluffy towel and a spell under the hair-dryer before falling asleep in a ratty heap on mummy's lap. Lovely!

[SlugLobber]

Have friends who keep them as pets. Somehow, with my cat being a prolific hunter, it wouldn't be a good idea for me to have any! I remember one friend's rat using her hood as a little hammock. He went everywhere in the house with her and was a lovely little thing.

Of course, I'm not as partial to the buggers that nibble their way through various things in my tack shed. Have lost a few things that way, including my BWFC scarf, which was 17 years old.

[di]

I'm just really shocked that I took to them, when my friend offered them to me I was intending on getting hamsters or gerbils...rats have always given me the heebie jeebies too, AP.

As far as their scent marking, although I'm a little slack with most aspects of housework, they're only allowed on wipeable surfaces and hands get washed after every play. It made an interesting read though, thanks. For instance, the first few days, despite cleaning them out daily they smelt pretty bad and I worried what I'd done...looks like it was probably due to the stress of moving, as I can happily say the odour's almost unnoticable now and certainly not offensive. A tip for any potential owners, when you clean them out, always put a little of the 'scented' bedding back in the cage...it helps them feel secure and cuts out the need to re mark everything.

[northepaul]

Argh...thats what I dont like about rodents....the smell.....